


People Will Say We're in Love

by gutsandglitter



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: (for like two seconds) - Freeform, F/F, Fake Marriage, Gratuitous use of OCs, this is so cheesy it's triggering my lactose intolerance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-23 23:42:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14943551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gutsandglitter/pseuds/gutsandglitter
Summary: At Mona Spellbody's Midsummer's Eve party, Dimity accidentally introduces Hecate to someone as "Ada's wife." Ada does not correct her.





	People Will Say We're in Love

**Author's Note:**

> A late entry for week 2 of the Hackle Summer Trope Challenge (fake dating/married).

Ada wasn’t sure how she was supposed to be able to properly socialize while Hecate was staring at her like that. 

She could feel the other woman’s gaze on her as she made her way around the party, shaking hands and laughing at dreadfully unfunny jokes told by potential school benefactors. It wasn’t uncomfortable, rather it was the opposite — a soft, warm feeling bordering on arousal which made it difficult to concentrate on anything else. She usually loved attending Mona’s Midsummer’s Eve garden party, loved staying late into the night (and sometimes into the dawn) catching up with old friends and dancing beneath the stars. Now she was just counting down the minutes until she could go home and divest Hecate of her clothing as quickly as magic would allow.

It didn’t help that tonight was technically the night of their one-year anniversary. They had both gotten tipsy off of the witches brew during the previous year’s party, and when they returned to Cackles Ada had suggested a nightcap, which turned into a pair of surprising confessions and a breathtaking kiss on the roof of the West Tower. The pair had been dating ever since, although truly “dating” was difficult when you both lived under the same roof and spent fourteen hours per day working side-by-side. But still they made it work -- finding excuses to do their marking together, stealing kisses in darkened alcolves during nightly rounds, attending a teacher’s conference and “accidentally” booking a single room. It was complicated and messy but as far as Ada was concerned no price was too high to pay for the ability to love and be loved by Hecate.

She knew that Hecate was not one for traditional romantic gestures, at least if her Valentine’s Day rant was anything to go by. (Her thesis statement had been that it was “heterosexual nonsense” and “an excuse to lazily coast through a relationship and ignore one’s significant other for the rest of the year.” Ada thought it was very sweet reasoning, though a heart-shaped box of chocolates still would not have gone amiss.) Hecate would most likely be averse to celebrating things like anniversaries too but Ada didn’t mind. They were away from the castle, it was a beautiful night, and Hecate had her hair down in public, which was a rare treat. It was going to be a wonderful anniversary, regardless of whether or not Hecate acknowledged it as such.

As if summoned by this train of thought, Hecate sidled up to Ada and handed her a cup of witches’ brew. 

“‘You were staring again,” Ada said. 

Hecate gave her a sidelong glance. “You should wear blue more often. Not that I don’t love the pink, but this color…” she paused a moment, trailing her eyes down Ada’s figure, “is quite becoming on you.” 

Ada blushed. “Thank you,” she murmured, suddenly quite glad that she had let Mona talk her into buying the dress. “You’re looking rather ravishing yourself.”

It was true -- in addition to wearing her hair down, Hecate had forgone her usual high-collared gown in favor of a loose blouse and long, flowing skirt. (Both black, of course.) 

Hecate shifted, ghosting her hand across the small of Ada’s back and causing her to shiver.

Ada could see her smirking out of the corner of her eye. “You’re incorrigible.”

“You like it,” Hecate replied, in that low, throaty tone that always made Ada go weak at the knees. “Perhaps we could slip away for a few minutes? There’s something I’d like to ah, talk to you about.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Ada was surprised that Hecate would even make such a suggestion (though she had to admit it was a very tempting offer). She cleared her throat and took a sip from her drink, in the hope that it would help to cool her reddening cheeks. “There’s Miss Drill,” she said, changing the subject before Hecate could talk her into something she would later regret.

Sure enough, the Academy’s most recent talent acquisition was standing on the other side of the garden talking to a tall, slim blonde whose back was turned towards them. Dimity had only started two weeks prior, following the abrupt departure of Miss Beetle (a lovely woman but far too competitive, she had made one too many first years cry and parents had been starting to complain). Hecate disliked her from the start and had been very vocal about it, but the girls loved her and the school had been desperate, so she had been out-voted.

Hecate groaned. “You didn’t tell me she’d be here.”

“I didn’t know,” Ada said mildly. “But be nice.”

Dimity waved them over. Hecate groaned again, but followed Ada as she wended her way through the crowded garden. 

Mona and Mortimer Spellbody came from two of the oldest, most highly-regarded witching families in the country, so their parties were always a veritable who’s who of the magical community. It never ceased to amaze Ada just how many celebrities and public figures were in her childhood friend’s social circle -- Catriona Twigg, a former Great Witch, who was currently laughing at something the journalist Belladonna Bunch had said; Fiona Foxglove, the fashion designer, who was shamelessly flirting with that rockstar whose name Ada could never remember (Nathaniel something. Nightstar? Nightmare?); Eglantine Paddock, a Magical Magistrate, who was debating something that appeared to be rather serious with Mona and Mortimer. Ada was glad she at least had the title of Headmistress to her name this year. It made the more accomplished members of the crowd seem somewhat less intimidating.

She gave a polite nod to Ursula and Jasper Hallow, who seemed to be in the middle of schmoozing with Egbert Helibore, the new Great Wizard-elect. Ursula had her daughter Esmerelda strapped to her chest in a green paisley sling, and Ada couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her. For as vile as her parents were, she really was a darling baby. Ada wondered if it was too much to hope that she didn’t turn out like the rest of her odious family.

Dimity grinned brightly at Ada and Hecate as they approached. “Hey you two,” she chirped. She gestured to the woman she had been talking to, who now turned to face the pair. “Ada, this is Phoebe Clearwater, the Spell Sciences teacher from my last school. Phoebe, this is my new boss, Ada Cackle, and her wife, Hecate Hardbroom. ”

Hecate frowned. “Oh, we’re not-”

“Ada Cackle, as I live and breathe!” the woman cried. 

The color drained from Ada’s cheeks as she came face-to-face with her childhood nemesis. She hadn’t seen her in over a decade, not since their last class reunion, but as far as Ada was concerned it was still far too soon. 

“Well met, Phoebe,” she said. Her voice was cold, colder than Hecate had ever heard it before. Or at least it would have been, had she been paying attention.

“But we’re not-”

“You two know each other?” Dimity asked, furrowing her brow. 

Phoebe laughed — a high, sharp sound that set Ada’s teeth on edge. “Oh Ada and I go way back. We were in the same year at Cackles,” she trilled.

“That we were,” said Ada, gripping her cup just a little too tight. Her earlier confidence was slipping, and she was growing increasingly uncomfortable by the second. She was glad to at least have Hecate by her side, though the poor woman had gone completely rigid. 

“Ada darling, I didn’t know you had gotten married,” Phoebe said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I must admit, I am surprised. Weren’t you voted ‘Most Likely to Become a Spinster’ in the yearbook?”

“We’re not-“

“Yes, well,” Ada cleared her throat and rested her hand on Hecate’s arm. “It would seem that prediction did not come to pass. I blame Miss Moonstone, she really was a terrible divination teacher.” She laughed and gave Hecate’s arm a light squeeze, hoping she would get the message and just play along. 

Phoebe tittered. “That she was. So tell me — Hecate, was it? — Tell me Hecate, what is it that you do?” 

Hecate’s eyebrows were knit together as tightly as they would go. She seemed bewildered, unsettled by the disjointed nature of the conversation. “I am the Deputy Headmistress at Cackles Academy.”

Phoebe’s over-plucked eyebrows flew up. “Ada, marrying an employee? _Très scandaleux!_ I must tell the other girls, they’ll just simply die.”

“If they’re anything like you, one can only hope,” Hecate muttered, just loud enough for Ada to hear.

“What was that?” Phoebe asked.

Hecate pursed her lips. “I said I’m afraid I have some business to attend to, if you’ll excuse me.” She flicked her wrist and transferred away before anyone had a chance to react.

Dimity glanced back and forth between Phoebe and Ada, unsure of what had just transpired. 

Phoebe sniffed, still staring at the space Hecate had occupied moments earlier. “I think you’ve picked yourself an odd duck there, Ada.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Ada sighed. She excused herself and went to go search for Hecate. 

The Spellbody estate was enormous, acre upon acre of greenery and woodland that seemed to stretch all the way to the horizon. Aside from the main walled garden, where the party was taking place, and Mona’s prized rose garden, the bulk of the property had been left untamed. Ada had spent countless summer days here, running through the meadow with Agatha and Mona and exploring every nook and cranny of the elm grove. 

As much as she would have liked to take a leisurely stroll around her old stomping grounds, she was starting to worry about Hecate (and her new sandals were giving her blisters), so she opted to use a locator spell to find her wayward partner. 

Ada found her down by the lake pacing back and forth beside an ancient willow. The reflection of moonlight on the water backlit her silhouette, giving a dreamy quality to the way her long, voluminous skirt swished as she walked. Not for the first time Ada marvelled at Hecate’s ability to create a dramatic visual aesthetic, seemingly without trying. 

As Ada approached, she could hear Hecate swearing quietly under her breath.

“Hecate, are you alright?”

“Why did Dimity think we were already married?” Hecate asked, continuing to pace. “Did you...had you said something to her?”

“No, of course not,” Ada replied. 

Hecate’s hands fluttered at her sides like a pair of pale, anxious birds. “Then why did you go along with it?”

Ada frowned and adjusted her shawl. “I’m not entirely sure. But I am sorry my dear, I wasn’t thinking. I suppose I still have a few resentments left over from my my school days, when Phoebe made that spinster comment I felt like I was fourteen again. But I shouldn’t have lied, and I shouldn't have dragged you into it.”

“It’s not your fault,” Hecate said, absentmindedly waving her hand in Ada’s direction. “I just fail to see how our marital status is anyone else’s business.”

Ada sighed. “Phoebe’s always been a gossip, she thinks everything is her business. Oh the bright side, she also has the attention span of a mayfly so she’s probably forgotten about it already.”

Hecate ignored Ada’s comment and continued on with her muttered rant. “Now that Drill woman has gone and ruined everything,”she grumbled. “Foolish witch, couldn’t keep her mouth shut if she took a lockjaw potion. I knew you shouldn’t have hired her.”

“For goodness sake Hecate, it was a simple misunderstanding,” Ada said tightly. She felt a lump rise in her throat as she watched Hecate continue pacing. “And forgive me, I hadn’t realized the idea of being married to me would be quite so upsetting to you.”

That stopped Hecate in her tracks. Her eyebrows flew to her hairline as she stared at Ada . “What? No that’s not-“ she groaned, closing her eyes and scrubbing a hand down her face. “That’s not at all what I meant.”

Ada crossed her arms over her chest. “Then what, pray tell, did you mean?” she asked, unable to keep her voice from wobbling. She understood Hecate’s difficulties with communication, how she sometimes got things wrong or had to come at them from a different angle than most people, and it was one of the traits that had made Ada fall in love with her. But that did not mean she was always immune to being hurt by Hecate’s words (or lack thereof).

At the sound of Ada’s wounded tone Hecate’s eyes flew open. She opened her mouth to say something then closed it, shaking her head. After a few moments of deliberation, she held out her hand and extended it towards Ada.

A small, red velvet box materialized in the center of her palm.

“I had planned on asking you to marry me tonight,” she said softly, unable to look Ada in the eye. “I only meant that Dimity had tipped my hand. But it doesn’t matter now, I’ve hurt you and ruined everything.” Hecate clasped her fingers around the box and turned away.

She raised her free hand to transfer, but was stopped by the sound of Ada’s voice.

“What was your plan?”

Hecate turned back around. “What?”

Ada swallowed and pulled her shawl tighter. “If Dimity hadn’t said anything, how had you seen the rest of this night going?”

Hecate blinked a few times. “I…I suppose I had planned on asking you to take a walk with me.  
Through the rose garden, most likely, or even out here.”

Ada’s heart rate began to quicken. “And then?”

Hecate raised an eyebrow. After a beat, her eyes widened with a dawning realization. “Er, then I would have told you how beautiful you look tonight. How beautiful you are, always,” she added softly. 

“And then?”

A soft gust of wind brushed past them, rustling the branches of the willow and causing Ada to shiver. Hecate took a step towards her. The frown lines had vanished, and there was the faintest hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

“Then I would take your hand,” she said, reaching out and lacing their fingers together. “And tell you that this past year has been the best year of my life. That I...well, that I never thought someone like me could ever know such happiness, could ever be loved by someone like you. And that, though I’ve known it to some degree since the first day I met you, this past year has shown me that you are the woman with whom I wish to spend the rest of my life.”

Tears that had been pricking at the corners of Ada’s eyes now spilled over, running down the apples of her cheeks. She blindly swiped at them with the back of her free hand before taking a deep, shaky breath.

“And after you had said all that, would you get down on one knee?” she asked.

Hecate smiled. “I would.”

She released Ada’s hand and adjusted her skirt before kneeling down on the grass. She opened the ring box, revealing a slim gold band set with a cluster of pink stones.

“And then I would say, Ada Amelia Cackle, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Ada breathed, dropping the hypothetical pretense. “A hundred times yes.” 

She dropped to her knees and threw her arms around Hecate’s neck, not realizing that being down on one knee was a rather precarious position. The pair toppled over, falling to the soft meadow grass in a tangle of limbs. 

“I’m so sorry,” Ada said, moving to sit up. “Are you alright, dearest?”

Hecate smirked. She was lying flat on her back with her hair fanned out across the grass, and the way the moonlight caressed her pale skin made Ada’s breath catch in her throat.

Hecate huffed a laugh. “I’m fine,” she said softly. “Come back down here.” 

She reached out and caught Ada’s elbow, tugging her back down to the ground. Ada went willingly, stretching herself out alongside Hecate and looping an arm around her waist. Hecate smoothed her hair back and pulled her into a slow, deep kiss which only broke when Ada’s need to smile and Hecate’s need for air became too great. 

Beaming, Ada kissed the tip of Hecate’s nose and chin, then planted a string of kisses across her cheeks and jawline.

“I love you, you ridiculous, magnificent witch,” she murmured, punctuating each word with a kiss. 

Hecate smirked. She ran her hands down Ada’s sides and gave her hips a soft squeeze. “That’s good, because I’m afraid you’re stuck with me now.” She turned her head and reached for the velvet ring box, which she had dropped when they fell. With a bit of fumbling, she was able to get the ring out and onto Ada’s finger. 

Ada sucked in her breath. Seeing the ring on her hand made it all the more real, and all the more perfect. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. She turned her hand, admiring the way the stones shimmered in the moonlight.

Hecate caught her hand and drew it up to her lips, placing a featherlight kiss on the knuckle just below the ring.

“Happy anniversary, Ada.”


End file.
